U.S. patent number 6,003,447 [Application Number 09/138,129] was granted by the patent office on 1999-12-21 for folding table.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Falcon Products, Inc.. Invention is credited to Lewis D. Cox, Steven J. Hill.
United States Patent |
6,003,447 |
Cox , et al. |
December 21, 1999 |
Folding table
Abstract
A folding table (1) with a table top (5) and a pair of breakaway
legs (15) supporting the top. A brace member (47) at each end of
the table has a leg assembly (7,9) attached thereto. A top
supporting beam (11) extends along the table top between the brace
members. The support beam is pivotally mounted to the table top.
Each leg assembly has a hinge structure (35) near its top end and a
foot structure (24) at its bottom end. The hinge (35) allows the
leg (15) to break down and fold inwardly against the table top. A
pair of leg braces (81,83) are attached to the support beam and are
moveable with the beam. Each leg brace is removably attached to a
corresponding leg by a locking assembly (87). When the leg braces
(81,83) are attached to the leg, they transfer downward force from
the table top to the legs at a point below the hinges (35) to keep
the legs in the unfolded position. The locking assembly (87) can be
disengaged and the leg braces pivoted out of the way to allow the
legs to be folded. A wire gallery (13) is removably attached to the
leg braces (81,83) below the table top.
Inventors: |
Cox; Lewis D. (Knoxville,
TN), Hill; Steven J. (Knoxville, TN) |
Assignee: |
Falcon Products, Inc. (St.
Louis, MO)
|
Family
ID: |
24477825 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/138,129 |
Filed: |
August 21, 1998 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
|
618466 |
Mar 15, 1996 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
108/50.02;
108/132 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47B
3/0815 (20130101); A47B 21/06 (20130101); A47B
13/003 (20130101); A47B 2200/0026 (20130101); A47B
2021/066 (20130101); A47B 2200/0013 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A47B
21/00 (20060101); A47B 003/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;108/50.02,64,115,124,123,128,132,23,133 ;312/223.1,223.6 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
38259 |
|
1909 |
|
AU |
|
2561725 |
|
Mar 1984 |
|
FR |
|
2618652 |
|
Jul 1987 |
|
FR |
|
2630312 |
|
Apr 1988 |
|
FR |
|
2639408 |
|
Nov 1988 |
|
FR |
|
2624176 |
|
Dec 1998 |
|
FR |
|
1076920 |
|
Apr 1953 |
|
DE |
|
2049025 |
|
Dec 1990 |
|
GB |
|
Primary Examiner: Cuomo; Peter M.
Assistant Examiner: Anderson; Gerald A.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Polster, Lieder, Woodruff &
Lucchesi, L.C.
Parent Case Text
This application is a Divisional Application of Ser. No.
08/618,466, filed Mar. 15, 1996, now abandoned.
Claims
We claim:
1. In a folding table including a top, a support beam pivotally
mounted to said top, said support beam extending longitudinally of
said top, the improvement comprising a breakaway folding leg
assembly, said leg assembly including a first part mounted to said
top, a second part including a leg attached to said first part, and
a hinge mounted between said first and said second parts, said
hinge permitting breakaway pivotal movement of said leg toward said
table top to define a folded position for said leg, a brace
attached to said support beam so as to be movable with said support
beam, said brace being interconnectable with said leg in the
operative, table supporting position of said leg, and a wireway
structure attached to said brace, said wireway structure including
a bottom wall having a length dimension, a frame including a rear
frame part, said rear frame part having a pair of spaced end
pieces, at least one of said end pieces being mountable to said
brace.
2. The improvement of claim 1 further including a plunger assembly
attached to said brace for interconnecting said brace to said
leg.
3. The improvement of claim 2 further including a catch assembly
mounted to said top and adapted to hold said leg in its folded
position.
4. The improvement of claim 1 wherein said wireway is removably
mounted to said second brace.
5. The improvement of claim 1 wherein said leg assembly has a
channel formed in it, said channel adapted to communicate with said
wireway in at least the unfolded position of said leg.
6. The improvement of claim 5 wherein said leg assembly further
including a spacer positioned between said first part and said
second part, said spacer varying the height of the top in the
unfolded position of said leg.
7. A folding table, comprising:
a top having a length dimension and a width dimension;
a beam for supporting said top extending along said top along the
length dimension, said beam being pivotally mounted to said
top;
a pair of folding leg assemblies, each of said leg assemblies
including a first part mounted to said top, a second part including
a leg attached to said first part, and a hinge mounted between the
first and second parts, said hinge permitting pivotal movement of
said leg toward said top to define a folded position for said leg,
one each of the first parts of said leg assemblies being mounted to
said top near the respective ends of said beam;
a pair of braces, one each of said braces being attached to said
beam in operational relationship with one each of said leg
assemblies, said braces being movable with said beam;
a locking assembly associated with each of said braces, said
locking assembly removably locking respective ones of said braces
to respective ones of said pair of leg assemblies; and
a wire gallery mounted to said braces.
8. The folding table of claim 7 wherein said wire gallery further
includes a first frame member, a spaced second frame member, and a
bottom wall interconnecting said first and said second frame
members.
9. The folding table of claim 8 wherein said wire gallery further
includes a cover hingedly attached to one of said first and said
second frame members.
10. The folding table of claim 9 wherein said locking assembly
further includes a spring biased plunger mounted to respective ones
of said pair of braces, respective ones of said pair of leg
assemblies pair having a plunger receiving openings formed in them
for locking said braces to said to said leg assemblies.
11. In a table assembly including a top, at least a pair of legs
supporting the top, and a brace associated with the top, the
improvement which comprises a wire gallery assembly for housing
electrical accessories for use in conjunction with the table, said
wire gallery assembly comprising:
a bottom wall;
a front panel mounted to said bottom wall;
a first frame member attached to said bottom wall;
a second frame member attached to said bottom wall in space
relationship to said first frame member;
a back wall attached between said bottom wall and said second frame
member;
attachment structure associated with said second frame member and
adapted to permit attachment of said wire gallery assembly to said
brace, and an electrical connection device carried by said wire
gallery; and
a clip mounted to one of said first frame member and said front
panel for holding said panel in abutting relationship with said
first frame member.
12. The improvement of claim 11 wherein said back wall is formed
from a flexible material.
13. The wire gallery assembly of claim 12 wherein said electrical
connection device has at least one extension associated with it for
connection to a second electrical connection device.
14. A folding table comprising:
a top;
a top supporting beam extending along said top, said beam being
pivotally mounted to said top;
first and second leg assemblies, each of said leg assemblies
including a first part mounted to said top in operative relational
position with respect to said beam, a second part including a leg,
and a hinge mounted between the first and said second parts, said
hinge permitting breakaway pivotal movement of said leg toward said
top to define a folded position for said leg said hinge and said
first and said second parts being arranged to permit said leg to
move in a first direction, but to prevent leg movement in a
direction that is the reciprocal of the first direction of
movement;
a pair of braces, each of said braces being attached to said
beam;
a locking assembly associated with each of said braces, said
locking assembly interconnecting respective ones of said braces and
said legs, said braces transmitting force supplied to said top to
said legs so as to maintain said legs in an open position; and
a wire gallery mounted to said table; and
a mounting structure between said wire gallery and said table, said
mounting structure permitting removal of said wire gallery.
15. The folding table of claim 14 wherein said wire gallery
includes a bottom wall, the front panel being pivotally mounted
with respect to said bottom wall, a pair of frame members mounted
to said bottom wall to define a channel therewith, and a back wall
mounted between one of said frame members and said bottom wall, the
mounting structure adapted to permit attachment of said wire
gallery to at least one of said braces.
16. A folding table comprising:
a top;
a first brace part mounted to said top;
a first leg;
a first hinge between said first leg and said first brace part,
said first hinge permitting movement of said leg in a first
direction while limiting movement of said leg in a second direction
reciprocal to said first direction;
a beam rotationally mounted to said top;
a second brace mounted to said beam, in the vicinity of said first
leg;
a first locking structure for releasably locking said second brace
to said first leg in the operational position of said table;
a third brace part mounted to said top in space relationship to
said first brace part, said beam extending generally between said
first brace part and said third brace part;
a second leg;
a second hinge between said second leg and said third brace part,
said hinge permitting movement of said second leg in a first
direction while limiting movement of said second leg in a second
direction reciprocal to said first direction;
a fourth brace mounted to said beam near said second leg;
a second locking structure for releasably locking said fourth brace
to said second leg in the operational position of said table;
and
a wireway assembly mounted to at least one of said second brace,
said fourth brace, and said beam.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to folding tables, and in particular, to a
folding table having articulated legs to allow folding and
unfolding of the legs. While the invention is described with
particular reference to computer and/or conference tables, those
skilled in the art will recognize the wider applicability of the
inventive principles disclosed hereinafter.
Folding tables are well known to the art. They commonly are used in
homes, offices, training rooms, cafeterias and so forth when extra
table space is needed. When not in use, the tables are folded up
and store in some unobtrusive manner. However, the folding and
locking mechanisms of prior art folding tables tend to be complex,
having a multitude of moving parts, and generally are incorporated
at the juncture of the leg and the table top, making the folding
mechanism and the leg an inseparable. This reduces the flexibility
of the designs.
Recently, folding tables more commonly are used to support
electronic devices, particularly personal computers and the like.
Personal computers, along with other paraphernalia, such as a
printer, telephone and personal work items represent a considerable
amount of weight to be supported by the table. Prior art folding
tables, particularly those with a long spans and conventional
folding and locking mechanisms, tend to bow under the weight.
Moreover, the additional weight can cause the legs to splay. On the
other hand, the added weight may cause the folding mechanism of
some prior art tables to fail and fold up under the weight of the
load as indicated above
A number of table designs having folding legs or mechanisms are
well known in the art.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,657('657), issued Aug. 16, 1994,
illustrates one form of such table. While the '657 patent, for
example, speaks of a "beam" extending lengthwise of the table, the
beam is thin corrugated sheet steel form plate which is not
intended to function and which does not function in the manner of
the support beam structure of the present invention.
Further, these electronic devices such as computers, monitors,
printers and telephones have power supply or connection cords or
wires that generally dangle from the rear edge of the table. The
loose wires are unsightly and present a safety hazard if the user
becomes entangled in the exposed wires. Our invention provides a
wire gallery structure adaptable to a number of table
constructions. This adaptability is accomplished through the use of
self contained wire manager units which can be attached to any of a
variety of table constructions without interfering with other table
functions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is among the principal objects of the present invention to
provide a folding table having a leg assembly which allows the legs
of the table to be folded up for storage or stacking.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a folding
table wherein the folding mechanisms are located along the legs and
not the associated table top.
Another object of the invention is to provide a folding table
wherein the folding legs easily can be lengthened or shortened
without requiring modification of the folding mechanism.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a folding table
wherein a support beam extending the length of the table functions
as a weight bearing member and not as a component of the leg
folding mechanism.
Another object of the invention is to provide a folding table
wherein the load exerted on the table top functions to maintain the
legs in an unfolded position and resist folding mechanism failure
under a load.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a folding table
wherein the braces extending from the table top to the foldable
legs are designed exert a positive pressure on the legs, when the
legs are in their unfolded position, so that the weight on the
table functions to keep the legs in their unfolded, supportive
position under the table top.
Another object of the invention is to provide a removable wire
guide under the table top to house electrical cords or wires
extending from electronic devices resting on the table top.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a removable wire
guide that can be stored separately from the table when the
foldable legs are moved from an unfolded to a folded position.
Another object of this invention is to provide an easy to operate
and simply constructed plunger assembly for use with a folding
table.
These and other objects of the folding table of the present
invention will be apparent from the accompanying specification and
drawings.
In accordance with the invention, briefly stated, a folding table
is provided in one illustrative preferred form, with a top and a
pair of breakaway legs supporting the top. A brace member at each
end of the table has a leg assembly attached to each brace member.
A top supporting beam extends along the table top in the area
between the brace members. The support beam is pivotally mounted to
the table top. Each leg assembly has a hinge structure near its top
end and a foot structure at its bottom end. The hinge is designed
to allow the leg to break down and fold inwardly against the table
top. A pair of leg braces are attached to the support beam and are
moveable with the beam. Each leg brace also is removably attached
to a corresponding leg by a simplified spring-biased plunger
assembly. When the braces are attached to the leg, they transfer
downward force from the table top to the legs at a point below the
hinges to keep the legs in the unfolded position. The plungers can
be removed from their interlock position with the legs, enabling
the braces to be pivoted out of the way and allowing the legs to be
broken down or folded. The braces have a triangular form in the
preferred embodiment.
A wire gallery assembly is removably attached to the braces below
the table top. The wire gallery has a wire tray to accommodate
loose wire and any associated wiring harness. The wire tray has a
hinged cover that can be opened to expose the wiring or closed to
cover the wiring. The cover also functions as a modesty panel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of one illustrative embodiment of
folding table of the present invention, one illustrative embodiment
of the wire gallery being shown in an open position;
FIG. 2 is the isometric view of the folding table of FIG. 1, the
table top being shown in phantom;
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the folding table shown in FIG.
1;
FIG. 4 is an exploded view of one foldable leg assembly of the
folding table shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a front elevation of the folding table shown in FIG. 1,
the wire gallery cover being in an open position, the rear net wall
not shown for drawing simplicity;
FIG. 6 is a front elevation of the folding table of the present
invention, the wire gallery cover being in an closed position;
FIG. 7 is a front elevation of the folding table of the present
invention, showing the leg braces in their stored position, the
wire gallery being removed;
FIG. 8 is a front elevation of the folding table of the present
invention, the foldable legs in a folded position;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of the wire gallery
assembly, the cover and rear wall not shown for drawing
simplicity;
FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a leg and plunger
taken along line 10--10 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 11A is a perspective view of one embodiment of a leg hinge of
the present invention;
FIG. 11B is a perspective view of another embodiment of a leg hinge
of the present invention;
FIG. 12 is an exploded view of a second illustrative embodiment of
folding table of the present invention;
FIG. 13 is a front view of the folding table of FIG. 12 with the
legs in a folded position;
FIG. 14 is an isometric view of the folding table of FIG. 1
illustrating operation of the wire gallery of the present
invention; and
FIG. 15 is an isometric view of a plurality of folding tables of
the present invention arranged end-to-end.
Corresponding reference figures indicated corresponding elements
throughout the various drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
One illustrative embodiment of folding table of the present
invention is indicated generally in the drawings by reference
numeral 1. As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, table 1 includes a
support frame assembly, indicated generally by reference numeral 3,
supporting a substantially flat, rectangular table top 5. It will
be appreciated that table top 5 can be of any conventional
configuration and can have one or more openings, such as an opening
6, formed in it to allow the introduction of wires. It also will be
appreciated by those skilled in the art that the frame assembly 3
can be used to support a table top of any length and can be
conveniently modified to elevate table top 5 any desired distance
from the floor.
Frame assembly 3 includes two spaced apart folding leg assemblies 7
and 9, respectively. A support beam 11 extends between the
respective leg assemblies to provide substantial support to the
table top and prevent the table top from bowing under weight of
objects placed upon the table top, regardless of the span of the
tabletop. A wire gallery assembly 13 is suspended below the beam
and serves to conveniently house electrical wires or the like which
extend down from objects resting on table top 5. The foregoing
major components of folding table 1 now will be described in
greater detail, with reference primarily being made to FIG. 3.
Leg assembly 7, with leg assembly 9 being nearly identical thereto,
has an elongated, substantially hollow body section 15. Leg
assembly 9 differs from leg assembly 7 only in specific details
described below, and except for such details, is not described in
detail. Body section 15, in the embodiment illustrated, has a
generally oval cross-section, although other configurations are
compatible with the broader aspects of our invention. Each body
section 15 has an opening 16 along the length thereof that allows
access into the body for the concealment of wires or cords or the
like Opening 16 can have an optional cover 17 (FIG. 14) to better
conceal the wires and the opening. Interior support struts 18 (FIG.
10) with threaded holes 19 formed in the ends, extend the length of
the interior cavity of the body to provide rigidity to the body and
provide anchors for other components. A surface engaging foot 20 is
attached to the bottom end of body 15 by a plurality of screws 21
or other appropriate attachment devices. The screws 21 engage
threaded holes (not shown) in the bottom end of the support struts.
The leg assembly 7 also has a plurality of resilient protective
bumpers 22 associated with it. The bumpers 22 are used to protect
the tables, during storage, for example. A decorative and
protective band 23 is placed between the bottom end of the body 15
and closes the juncture between the body and the foot 19. Foot 20
has a substantially elongated toe section 24 and a somewhat shorter
heel section 25. Foot 20 is of an appropriate overall length so as
to provide stability and prevent tipping of the table. There is a
first adjustable glide 27 threadedly attached to an internally
threaded boss 29 on the end of the toe section 24 and a similar
adjustable glide 31 threadedly attached to an internally threaded
boss 33 on the end of the heel section 25. The respective glides
can be rotated to level the foot on its supporting surface. As
appreciated by those skilled in the art, a symmetrical foot may be
employed, if desired.
A hinge 35 is attached to the upper end of body 15 with screws 37,
or by other appropriate devices, which engage threaded holes 19.
The hinge 35, shown in greater detail in FIG. 11B, has a general
clam-shell configuration with a top half 39 attached to a bottom
half 41 along a hinge pin 43. FIG. 11A illustrates a second
embodiment of the hinge. In FIG. 11A, it should be noted that the
top half 39' and bottom half 4l' of the hinge 35' employed with leg
assembly 9, for example, has a plurality of openings 51 formed
therein. Openings 51 allow the introduction of cords or electric
wires into body 15 of leg assembly 9 as will be explained in
greater detail below.
The bottom half 41 of each hinge is attached to the upper end of
body 15, as stated above, and the upper half 39 is attached to a
table top mounting brace 47 with a plurality of screws 49 or other
appropriate attachment devices. Each brace 47 has a substantially
flat, elongated first brace member 53 and an integral but short
second brace member 55 at a right angle to the first brace member
in the embodiment illustrated. The respective base members are
secured to the bottom surface of the table top 5 with screws 56 or
other appropriate attachment means. At the juncture of the
respective brace members is a generally ovoid opening 57 formed a
first end of the brace member 53, which is defined on the bottom
side (referenced to FIG. 3), by a circumferential depending skirt
59. It will be appreciated that skirt 59 in the assembled
arrangement of parts, will appear as a part of the upper end of
body 15.
As mentioned above, there is an elongated beam 11 running along the
bottom side of the table top 5, between the two brace members 53.
As shown, beam 11 generally is L-shaped, having a generally
vertically disposed wall 63 and a short, perpendicular lip 65
extending outwardly from the wall 63 along a bottom edge thereof.
Beam 11 has a plurality of hinges 69 attached to the wall 63. In
the embodiment shown, three hinges 69 are spaced equal distances
along the length of the beam. The top half of each hinge is
attached to the underside of the table top with screws 71 or other
appropriate attachment means. A pair of latches 73 and 75 are
attached to the wall 63 with screws 77 or the like. Latches 73
function to hold the legs in a folded position as will be further
explained below.
A first brace 81 is mounted between beam 11 and leg assembly 7 and
a second brace 83 is mounted between beam 11 and leg assembly 9.
The braces 81 and 83 are identical to one another in the embodiment
illustrated, and preferably are triangular in silhouette. As
illustrated, each brace 81, 83 is attached to beam 11 by a
plurality of screws 85 or other appropriate attaching device. Each
brace 81, 83 has an upper end 84A and a lower end 84B. The lower
end 84B has a plunger boss 87 formed in it. A spring biased plunger
89 having a plunger pin 90 is mounted in each boss 81, as shown in
greater detail in FIG. 10. There is a complementary keeper bracket
91 attached to the inside face of each leg assembly, just below the
hinges 35 which accepts and aligns pin 90 with an opening 92 formed
in the respective legs. When table 1 is fully assembled with the
legs unfolded, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the respective pins 91
are biased into the opening 92 to secure the bottom end 84B of the
respective braces 81, 83 to the leg assemblies. The structural
arrangement described above satisfies several major objectives of
the present invention. First, the beam 11 functions primarily as a
load bearing support and does not constitute an element of the
folding mechanism, as found with many prior art folding tables.
Second, as downward pressure is placed on beam 11 by a load place
on the table top, the pressure is transferred to the inner surface
of the legs via the braces 81, 83 to urge the legs outward against
hinges 35, the force acting to hold the legs in their unfolded
position. Therefore, rather than acting to cause the collapse of a
folding table, the load on the folding table of the present
invention acts to stabilize the entire structural combination in
use.
The wire gallery assembly 13, shown in greater detail in FIGS. 3
and 9, includes a wire gallery 93. Wire gallery 93 includes a
substantially flat tray section 95, shown in greater detail in FIG.
9, defined by a bottom wall 96. A hinge 97 extends along the front
edge of tray section 95. A raised edge 99 extends along the rear
edge of the tray section 95. Raised edge 99 is designed to permit
attachment of the previously mentioned screen 67. Screen 67
delineates a back wall of the wire gallery assembly 13.
One arm of hinge 97 has a plurality of holes 98 formed in it, for
attaching a cover support 101 to the arm. Attachment is
accomplished with rivets 103 or other appropriate fastener devices.
Cover support 101 is a substantially resilient U-shaped member. A
wire gallery cover 105 is attached to the wire gallery by inserting
the cover support 101 into a channel 107 formed in the interior
face of the cover 101. A pair of detents 109 are attached to each
upper end corners of the cover 105.
The wire gallery employs two skeletal frames. There is first
skeletal frame defined by an end part 106 at one end of the tray
and a second end part 106 at the other end of the tray. The end
parts 106 receive the detents 109 to hold the cover 101 in its
closed position. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the
art, detents 109 alternatively may be mounted in the end part 106
rather than the cover 109, if desired. Other similar arrangements
are compatible with the broader aspects of our invention.
The second skeletal frame is a wire gallery mounting frame 111,
which is adapted and arranged to permit the removal and attachment
of the wire gallery assembly 13 to the braces 81 and 83. Mounting
frame 111 is an elongated, C-shaped frame 113 having a horizontal
rod member 113 and two vertical oppositely end opposed sections
114. End plates 115 and 117 are welded or otherwise attached to the
inside of end sections 114. Wire frame 111 is attached to tray 96
by a pair of L shaped brackets 118 by welding or other appropriate
means. It will be appreciated that the second skeletal frame is
spaced apart from the first skeletal frame but connected at each
end by braces 118 that extend between the end members 106 and the
end sections 114 or mounting pieces 115 and 117. It should be noted
that there is a central indention 119 in rod member 113 to
accommodate the leg latches 73 and 75. Each plate 115 and 117 has a
pair of vertically aligned, key-hole type openings 119 and 121
formed in it.
There are a pair of vertically aligned mounting pins 123 and 125
protruding from the brace 81, 83. The respective openings 119 and
121 are designed to engage the pins 123 and 125 to mount the wire
gallery assembly removably to the brace members 81, 83. This novel
construction allows the wire gallery assembly to be removed, if not
needed, or used interchangeably with another table having similarly
arranged mounting pins or screws.
FIGS. 5-8 illustrate the foldable features of the folding table I
of the present invention. First, FIG. 5 shows the table fully
assembled with the wire gallery cover 105 opened. FIG. 6 shows
table 1 fully assembled with the wire gallery cover 105 closed to
give an aesthetically pleasing finished look to the table and to
function as a modesty panel. To close cover 105, the cover is
pivoted about hinge 97. Detents 109 engage the end parts 106 to
secure the cover in place, to hide wire strung therein, and to
serve as a modesty panel. Further, it will be appreciated that tray
95 is designed to hold a plurality of electrical cords or wires or
the like extending from devices resting on the table top. Moreover,
the wires can be concealed inside a leg assembly, for example leg
assembly 9 by introducing the wires through openings 6 and 57,
through the openings 51 in top hinge piece 39 and down through the
channel 16 in body 15 and out of the bottom of channel 16 to a
source of electrical energy, for example. On the other hand, the
wires can drop down from the table adjacent leg assembly 9 and
extend across the tray to leg assembly 7 or vice versa, depending
upon the location of an electrical outlet, for example, as will be
further described below.
The folding feature of table 1 is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. First,
the wire gallery 13 is removed from the mounting screws. The
plungers 89 are with drawn from the holes 92 and keeper brackets
97. The support beam 11, bearing the freed triangular braces 81 and
83, is pivoted about the hinges 69 until the braces are flush to
the bottom surface of the table top. The legs then break or are
pivoted inward about hinges 35 until they are parallel to the table
top, as shown in FIG. 8. The legs are secured in the folded
position by snapping into latches 73 and 75.
It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may
be made in the folding table of the present invention without
departing from the scope of the appended claims. For example, a
folding leg assembly, indicated generally by reference numeral 9',
is shown in FIG. 4 and illustrates the flexibility of the novel
folding leg assembly design. Leg assembly 9' employs a spacer 130
between the skirt 59' and the hinge 35'. Spacer 130 is used to
lower the hinge 35' employed on the leg assembly relative to the
position of the hinge 35 employed on the opposite leg assembly.
FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate an embodiment of the folding table of
the present invention, indicated generally by reference numeral
150, employing the leg assembly 9' of FIG. 4 in conjunction with a
table having a relatively shorter table top 152 than those
previously described. Due to the use of spacer 130, the leg 15' can
breakdown and fold under leg 15 of the opposite leg assembly 7.
Moreover, body 15 of the leg assemblies may be made longer, if the
application so dictates a taller table. The basic elements of the
folding table of the present invention are interchangeable and the
table easily can be heightened or shortened by the use of or
removal of spacer 130 or by the use of a longer leg assembly body
15.
FIG. 14 illustrates a folding table 1 of the present invention with
an electrical plug strip 160 seated in the wire gallery tray. A
wire 162 connectable to a power source, such as a wall plug, enters
opening 16 in leg 15 through a fitting 164. The wire 162 is
electrically connected to the strip 160. Strip 160 has a plurality
of individual plugs 166 for connecting various electric devices
resting on the table top. Further, an extension 170 with a plug 171
is position between the wire gallery's two skeletal frames and
exists under the table top. There is an extension plug 172 at the
opposite end of strip 160. As should be appreciated, a plurality of
tables 1 of the present invention can be aligned end-to-end, as
shown in FIG. 15. The extension 170 of one table can engaged the
plug 172 of an adjacent table, thereby electrically connecting all
of the electronic devices on all of the tables 1.
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the design
silhouette of various components may be altered. For example, the
brace members 81, 83 are shown as generally having a triangular
shape. Other shapes are compatible with our invention. Likewise, we
employ screw type fasteners in the assembly of various structural
components. Other fasteners may be used, if desired. Since these
variations are merely illustrative, the foregoing description and
accompanying drawings should be viewed as illustrative only and
should not be construed in a limiting sense.
* * * * *